Boat storage rack



J1me 1964 D. B. GREENBURY 3,

BOAT STORAGE RACK Filed Nov. 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTOR/VAYS.

J'lihe'9, 1964 GREENBURY 3,136,425

' BOAT STORAGE RACK Filed NOV. 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 32F INVENTOR.

4a 00! 0 a. GRfi/Vfluk y United States Patent 3,136,425 BOAT STORAGE RACK Donald B. Greenbury, 36559 Lyman Road, Farmington, Mich. Filed Nov. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 72,522 1 Claim. (Cl. 2111) This invention relates to the boat art and more particularly, to a novel and improved storage rack for boats of the inboard and outboard types.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a boat storage rack which incorporates a pair of similarly constructed front and rear end frame sections and similarly constructed frame side sections and wherein the end and side sections may be quickly and easily secured together to form a boat rack for storing outboard boats and inboard boats.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a boat storage rack which is compact and simple in construction, economical of manufacture, and efficient in operation.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a boat storage rack which is light in weight and which may be used in a stacked arrangement whereby a plurality of the racks may be stored in vertical stacks in a minimum of space so as to store a maximum number of boats in a small space.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a boat storage rack which may be quickly and easily disassembled when not in use and stored in a minimum of space.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a boat storage rack which is light in weight so as to permit the assembly and disassembly of the same with a minimum number of persons and wherein the rack may be loaded with a boat in a quick and easy manner by depositing the boat on the rack from the open upper end thereof.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts of the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a pair of stacked boat storage racks made in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the lower rack structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken in the direction of the arrow marked 2 and with the upper rack removed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the corner connection between a pair, of stacked racks made in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the front end frame member which is identical to the rear end frame member;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the right side frame member of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, and the left side frame member is identical to the right side frame member;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the left end of the front transverse connecting rod, taken along the line 66 thereof and looking in the direction of the" "ice vention and in which is mounted a boat, generally indicated by the numeral 11. The numeral 12 generally indicates a second boat storage rack which is mounted on top of the first rack 10 in a stacked position. The numeral 13 indicates a second boat which is carried or mounted in the second boat rack 12. The boat racks 10 and 12 as shown in FIG. 1 illustrate the manner in which the boat racks of the present invention may be vertically stacked whereby a large number of boats may be stored in a comparatively small floor area.

Both of the boat storage racks 10 and 12 aresimilarly constructed and, therefore, only the rack 10 will be described in detail. As shown inFIGS. l and 5, the boat storage rack 10 comprises the identically formed front and rear frame sections 14 and 15, respectively, and the left and right side frame sections 16 and 17, respectively. The aforedescribed frame sections are detachably connected to form a boat storage rack with suitable boat carrier means as more fully describedhereinafter.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the front end frame section 14 which comprises the elongated base member 18, which is shown as an angle iron. Fixedly secured to each end of the base member 18 are the two vertical rails 19 and 20 which are shown in the form of short pieces of angle iron and which have one of the faces thereof positioned adjacent the ends of the base member 18. The vertical angle iron rails 19 and 20 are fixedly secured to the base member 18 by any suitable means as by welding. The vertical angle iron rail 19 is provided with a reinforcing angle member 21 which is made from a short piece of angle iron and which is fixedly secured to the base member 18 at one end, as by welding. The other end of the reinforcing angle iron 21 is fixedly secured to the vertical rail 19 by any suitable means, as by welding. As shown in FIG. 4, the reinforcing member 21 slopes inwardly and downwardly from the point of the connection to the rail 19. The vertical rail 2t is also reinforced by a reinforcing member 22 which is constructed similarly to the reinforcing member 21. As shown in FIG. 4, the outer face of the rail 19 is provided with suitable bolt holes as 23 and the rail 20 is provided with the bolt holes 24. The rear end frame section 15 is constructed identically to the front end frame section 14 and accordingly, the details thereof have not been duplicated.

The structure of the side frame section is illustrated in detail in FIG. 5 wherein the right side frame section 17 is specifically detailed. As shown in FIG. 5, the side frame section 17 comprises the base member which is shown as being made from an elongated angle iron 25. A front corner standard or post 26 is fixedly secured to the front end of the base member 25 and. this member 26 is shown in the form of an angle iron which has one side thereof disposed in the longitudinal plane of the side frame and along the inner side thereof. A rear end standard or post 27 is also fixedly secured to the rear end of the base member angle iron 25 by any suitable means as by welding. The one leg of the angle iron 27 is disposed in the longitudinal plane of the side frame 17 along the inner side thereof. The upper ends of the corner posts 26 and 27 are inter-connected by means of the longitudinally extended upper rail member 28 which is fixedly secured to these posts by any suitable means as by welding. The rail 28 is illustrated as being formed from a square tubular elongated metallic member. The upper side frame section rail 28 is inter-connected by means of the vertical reinforcing post 22 with the lower horizontal frame rail 25. The interconnecting reinforcing vertical member 29 is shown as being formed from an angle iron which is Welded to the members 25 and 28. The corner posts 26 and 27 are reinforced by the reinforcing members 30 and 31, respectively which are shown as being formed from short pieces of angle iron and are fixedly interconnected between these post members and the bottom rail member 17. The front post angle iron 26 is provided with suitconnected to the left side frame section 16 by means of the bolts and. nuts generally indicated by the numeral 34. As shown in FIG. 1 the rear end frame section would be similarly connected by suitable bolts and nuts to the side frames as generally indicated by the numerals 35.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the boat 11 is adapted to be carried between the side frame sections in and 17 by means of the strap members and 36. As best seen in FIG. 2, the ends of the strap members 35 and 36 are looped around the upper rails 28 of the side sections and these loops are indicated by the numerals 37 and 38. It will be seen that the boat supporting straps 35 and 36 form a boat carrier means which is adjustable lengthwise of the boat rack to permit storing boats of various lengths.

It will also be seen that the straps may be adjusted upwardly and downwardly in accordance with the size boat to be stored.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the parts of the upper boat storage rack 12 which are identical to the parts of the lower boat rack are marked with similar reference numerals followed by the small letter a. As shown in FIG. 5, the left side frame section parts'which are identical to the corresponding parts of theright side frame section are marked with similar reference numerals followed by the small letter b.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6, the upper ends of the boat storage rack are provided with a transverse or cross member generally indicated by the numerals 39 and 40. The transverse inter-connecting and reinforcing member 39 comprises the elongated rod 41 which is shown in FIG. 6 as being made from an elongated piece of pipe. Fixedly mounted to the pipe 41 at each end thereof is a short piece of flat metal strap or plate 42 and 43. The plates 42 and 43 may be termed connector members and they are fixedly secured to the pipe 41 'by any suitable means as by welding. Each of the connector members 42 and 43 are provided with a suitable hole therethrough as 44. As shown inFlG. 2, each of the front corner posts of the side frame sections 17 and 17b are provided with a vertical metal rod or pin 45 which is adapted to be inserted through the holes 44 in the plates 42 and 43. As shown in FIG. 5, the pin 45 is fixedly secured in a tubular member 46 which is in turn fixedly connected as by welding to the upper end of the corner post member 26. The rear end of the right side frame is provided with a similar pin indicated by the numeral 47 and the rear end of the left side frame section would be provided with a similar pin.

The boat storage rack of the present invention is adapted to be used in a stack arrangement as illustrated in FIG. 1. As best shown in FIG. 3, a socket in the form of a tubular member or pipe 48 is fixedly secured to the lower end of each corner post by any suitable means as by welding. These sockets 48 are adapted to slidably receive the pins 45 and 47 for securely mounting the boat rack on top of a similar boat'rack, As shown in FIG. 3, the u per boat rack would be further connected to the lower boat rack by means of the bolt 49 passing through the lower side rail as 25a on the upper rack and through the upper side rail 28 of the lower rack and secured in place by means of the nut 50. As shown in PEG. 1, each side of the stacked arrangement is provided with two of these bolts 49. it will be understood that additional securing bolts 49 may be used if desired.

It will also be understood that the boat carrier means as illustrated by the straps 35 and 36 may be replaced with conventional cradle type means ifdesired to support inboard type motor boats. Experience has shown that inboard type motor boats up to 22 feet in length have been safely and efficiently stored in a boat storage rack of the present invention in a rack of substantially similar length.

FIG. 7 illustrates a modified cross member generally indicated by the numeral 51which may be used to replace the cross members 39 when it is desired to store an inboard type motor boat in the storage rack. The cross member 51 is formed from an angle iron which is provided with the holes 52 at the ends thereof for the reception therein of the upwardly extended pins as 45 and 4'7. The cross member 51 provides a strong and rigid transverse member at the front end and the rear end of the storage rack whereby a conventional boat cradle 53 may bemounted directly on these cross members so as to support an inboard type motor boat thereon. At the same time, a second conventional storage cradle may then be mounted longitudinally inside of the rack so as to be disposed'with the front end resting on the base member 18 of the front end frame section and the rear end thereof on the base member id of the rear end frame sec tion. It will be seen that by using the cross members 51, each storage rack may efficiently store two motor boats of the inboard type.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change Without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claim.

What I claim is:

A boat storage rack of the class described comprising: a pair of spaced apart side frame sections; a pair of end end frame sections; means for detachably connecting the end frame sections to the side frame sections to form a rigid structure; a cross member at each end of the rack interconnecting the front ends of the side frame sections and the rear ends of the side frame sections; and, longitudinally extended boat carrier means mounted on the cross members for supporting a boat in a storage position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,355,486 

